The Holiday Gift by RaeAnne Thayne

Author:RaeAnne Thayne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-02-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Faith couldn’t leave the intimacy of the covered deck quickly enough.

She felt rattled and unsettled and she hated it. With a deep sense of longing, she remembered dinner just the previous Sunday, when they had laughed and joked and teased like always. He had stayed to watch a movie and she had thrown popcorn into his mouth and teased him about not shaving for a few days.

There had been none of this tension, this awareness that seemed to hiss and flare between them like that stupid grill coming to life.

She had wanted him to kiss her. It was all she could seem to think about, that wondrous feeling of being alive, desired.

Another few moments and she would have been the one to kiss him.

She forced herself to move away from the door and into the kitchen, where Aunt Mary looked up from the rolls she was pulling apart.

“Tell me Chase saved the day again.”

“We’re in business. It was all about the gas connection. I feel stupid I didn’t look there first.”

“Sometimes it takes an outside set of eyes to identify the problem and find the solution.”

Could someone outside her particular situation help her figure out how to go back in time and fix what felt so very wrong between her and Chase?

“Where are the steaks?” she asked her aunt.

“Over there, by the microwave.”

“Whoa,” she exclaimed when she spotted them. “That’s a lot of steak for just us.”

“I took out a few extras in case we had company or so we could use the leftovers for fajitas one day this week. Good thing, because Rafe and Hope said they’re only about fifteen minutes out. I’m sure glad they’ll beat the worst of the snow. I feel a big storm coming on.”

“The weather forecast said most of the storm will clip us.”

“Weather forecasts can be wrong. Don’t be surprised if we get hit with heavy winds, too.”

She had learned not to doubt her great-aunt’s intuition when it came to winter storms. After a lifetime of living in this particular corner of Idaho, Mary could read the weather like some people read stock reports.

Sure enough, the wind had already picked up a little when she carried the tray of steaks out to the covered deck. Chase stood near the propane heater, frowning as he checked something on his phone.

“Trouble?” she asked, nodding at the phone.

“Just Cindy,” he answered, his voice terse.

“I’m sorry.”

He made a face as he took the tray from her and used the tongs to transfer the steaks onto the grill.

“Nothing new,” he said as the air filled with sizzle and scent. “Apparently Addie sulked all the way to Boise about having to go back when she was expecting to stay through the week with me and practice for the show with Olivia and Lou. Of course Cindy blames me. I shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up, etc. etc.—even though she was the one who changed her mind from her original plan.”

Faith wanted to smack the woman. Why did she have to be so difficult?

“Maybe you should petition again for primary custody.

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